Did I Do The Right Thing?
by Senrath
Summary: What if Naruto had succeeded in bringing back Sasuke? And what if Sakura refused to leave Sasuke's side, giving Naruto time to get to know Ino? NaruIno and NaruSaku sort of NaruHarem. Chapter 9 is up. Sorry it took so long.
1. London Bridge

Here I am again. Writing my third story in two days. I guess I must be more bored than I originally thought, since I was planning to not write any more until the three days elapsed and I could post my first two stories. But that obviously isn't happening, so here's another story. This story is going to be much larger than my other two. In other words, this is going to be several chapters long (don't worry, I'm still working on my NaruSaku piece). Anyway, this time it is not NaruHina (gasp) but NaruIno. Well, at least that's what I'm planning on it being. It might go in some other crazy direction, but I don't plan on it.

Oh, and this is an AU fic, and thus, the characters might be a bit OOC. Normally, I don't really like them (unless they are really well done, like the AU's on my favorites list), but in this case, it was the only way I could do what I wanted with this fic. In this Alternate Universe Naruto was successful at retrieving Sasuke, Gaara was made Kazekage almost immediately upon returning from the Chuunin Exam, and Naruto and Sakura already know everything that they would have learned during the time skip in the manga.

One more thing. If you can't stand seeing Sasuke being portrayed in a negative light, please leave now (or at least to flame me for it).

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Chapter 1:

London Bridge Isn't The Only Thing Falling Down

Ino sighed as she finished cleaning up the mess she had made behind the counter of the family flower shop. She really needed to concentrate on the here and now, instead of on Sasuke, who was still lying in the hospital, or she'd end up breaking more than a single vase. Once she was done, she double checked everything and closed up the shop for the night. Heading home, she smiled as she thought of her plans for the next day.

It was almost one month after a half-dead Naruto dragged back an even worse off Sasuke. Naruto had healed completely in about five days, and had been released in a week, quickly going back to his normal schedule. But Sasuke, though his wounds were fully healed, had not woken up. All things considered, he should have been perfectly fine, but it seemed as though his mind had been left behind when Naruto had recovered him. Ino still didn't know the details, but apparently Naruto and Sasuke had fought at the Valley of the End, and Naruto had barely won.

Naruto. He was certainly an interesting character. One month ago she wouldn't have had a single nice thing to say about Naruto, except for that he was honest…as far as she could tell, anyway. But now, though she still didn't know him any better, was intrigued, and had to stop herself from jumping into arguments in Naruto's defense. And if it wasn't for the fact that she had no real evidence that showed Naruto in a good light, except for the fact he brought Sasuke back instead of killing him when he had the chance, though not many people believed that Naruto _could_ have killed Sasuke, she _would have_ jumped right into the arguments. But, since she'd probably just make a fool of herself, she held her tongue.

All this thinking about Naruto…why could she not stop thinking about Naruto? It was Sasuke that she should be thinking about! Sasuke was the one in the hospital, the one who needed the attention, but Naruto was the one in her mind day and night. It scared her more than anything else, even more than seeing Sasuke right after Naruto had brought him back and collapsed onto the ground, that she was suddenly so worried about a boy that she had hardly given a second thought to before. She needed to talk to someone, but there was no one to talk to, but Naruto himself, and she wasn't willing to do that. Sakura was refusing to leave Sasuke's side, which seemed to be hurting Naruto for some reason. He couldn't be that attached to her, could he? And then there were her parents, who got either angry, flustered, or annoyed when she brought up Naruto, for some reason. Shikamaru was no good, since he was on some mission or another, and wouldn't be back for at least another week. Everyone else she either didn't trust enough to talk that deeply to them, or didn't know Naruto that well.

Ino sighed again as she got into bed. Maybe the party tomorrow would take her mind off of things. Everyone who was available from the three rookie teams was coming, and so were Neji, Rock Lee, TenTen, and the team leaders. Thinking that, Ino froze. Naruto-kun would be there, if he remembered. Crap, maybe she wouldn't be able to forget about him after all. Wait, Naruto-_kun_! Since when did she call him Naruto-kun? Damn, things were getting worse. She definitely needed to talk to someone. And with that thought on her mind, she drifted off to sleep.

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Naruto's Apartment 

Naruto sighed deeply as he waited for his cup ramen to cook. Why did if have to take a whole 3 minutes? That was practically forever? Once it was ready, he dug into it and let his mind wander. Soon, he was thinking about the whole mess with Sasuke, like he always did ever since it happened. Although to most people, he seemed to have gone back to his normal self, anyone who really knew him would be able to tell something was wrong. Which is why he had been avoiding everyone who could tell that, like the Hokage, Iruka-sensei, and Kakashi-sensei.

One look would have been enough to tell any one of them that Naruto was having a hard time coping with everything. Sakura-chan was refusing to speak to him, never once thanking him for bringing back Sasuke. Heck, she was even refusing to _see_ him. Though that wasn't surprising, since she wasn't seeing anyone, expect the Hokage, who was the one treating Sasuke. But it still hurt. Part of him had been hoping that if he made good on his promise to Sakura-chan, that she would pay more attention to him. No good. Not even a glance, save for when she had seen him dragging Sasuke back into the village. But what really hurt was Sasuke himself. He was Naruto's best friend, he had even said that Naruto was his best friend, and he had tried to kill him!

As he thought this, Naruto absent-mindedly felt the scars running across his chest, reminders of the fact that Sasuke had plunged two chidoris into him.

Naruto probably could have gotten over that, if Sasuke had just woken up and explained things. Or at least woken up. Though he wouldn't admit it to himself, or anyone, he was worried about Sasuke. If he never woke up, it would be his, Naruto's, fault. Then Sakura would hate him forever. And that was more than Naruto could handle.

Naruto finished his meal, tossed the empty cup aside, and headed for his bed. Maybe he shouldn't go to the party tomorrow…

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At The Party 

Things were going about as well as they could be expected to. Choji pretty much had a monopoly on all of the snacks, Neji was being his usual brooding self, and Kakashi had his nose buried in one of his Icha Icha Paradise books. But what was really surprising was Naruto, who was being almost completely silent, alone in one corner. More than once, Lee, Kiba, and even Hinata had tried to talk to him, but he just continued to stare off into space. No one had any idea what to do. Ino was just content to let him sit there until he decided to go home. But there was a problem with that plan. Naruto _wouldn't_ go home. Even after everyone else had left and Ino had cleaned up what was left of the party, Naruto was still sitting there. Sighing, Ino walked over to him and gently touched his shoulder. "Naruto?"

Suddenly, Naruto spun around at her touch and hugged Ino tightly to him, burying his face in her shoulder. This surprised her, but not as much as the realization that Naruto was _crying_ into her shoulder. Naruto, the unshakable pillar, the one who never gave up or lost faith was sobbing his heart out.

Carefully, so as not to disturb Naruto, Ino sat down on the couch and pulled Naruto into her lap, gently holding him as he soaked her shoulder. Tentatively, she spoke. "What's wrong, Naruto?" But Naruto didn't answer. Instead, he just shook his head and continued to cry.

After a very awkward hour, in which Naruto just continued to cry and Ino tried to comfort him, Naruto finally spoke softly. "Everything is wrong. Everything." "What do you mean by that?" Ino was confused. How could everything be wrong? Normally, she would assume that he was just exaggerating, but for some reason, he seemed to be telling the absolute truth. "I mean, everything is wrong. Sakura-chan is refusing to see anyone, and seems to hate me now for some reason. Sasuke still hasn't woken up, and I'm really worried. But the main thing is that, well…" Naruto took a deep breath before continuing, and slid off of Ino's lap onto the couch. "When I went after Sasuke, we ended up fighting. I expected that, but I didn't expect exactly what happened. First, he told me that I was his best friend, then…then…then he tried to kill me! All those wounds, none of them were from the sound nins. Every single one of them was from Sasuke." As soon as he finished speaking, he collapsed against a very stunned Ino and began to cry once more.

Ino was stunned. She knew that Sasuke had fought Naruto, but that he tried to _kill him?_ And that every one of those horrible wounds Naruto had returned with came from Sasuke? She felt herself collapse against Naruto, just as he had collapsed against her, and began to cry as well. Everything she had known seemed to be falling apart. Suddenly, Sasuke was no longer someone she idolized. No, he was now someone she feared and hated. To say that Naruto was his best friend, then try to kill him? That was horrible. And Sakura hating him? Come to think of it, she had given that impression when they had tried to get her to go home to sleep. But why? Did she blame Naruto for what was happening to Sasuke? If she did, then she was even stupider than Ino had thought.

Neither of them knew who started the kiss, but they both knew that it felt right. After a while, they broke the kiss and looked into each other's eyes, neither one speaking. Instead, they understood each other perfectly, just from the other person's expression. It wasn't really love, per say, more like a deep understanding with mutual feelings, but it was definitely what they both needed. Soon, both exhausted, they fell asleep on the couch, pressing against each other, Naruto's arm wrapped protectively around Ino's waist.

Ino's parents were livid at the sight. How dare that demon lay a hand on their daughter! If it weren't for the fact that Ino looked so peaceful in her sleep, they would have woken them both up and yelled at them. Instead, they simply headed for bed, intending to yell at Ino and that demon boy in the morning.

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See you in Chapter 2! Which might actually be written before I can post this . 


	2. Some Secrets Should Never Be Kept

Yup. Chapter 2 was definitely written before I could post Chapter 1. Not much to say here, other than enjoy!

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Chapter 2:

Some Secrets Should Never Be Kept

It took Naruto a moment to figure out where he was when he woke up, and even longer to figure out why he was holding onto Ino. When the previous night came back to him, he smiled and kissed Ino's cheek. "Morning, Ino-chan." Ino mumbled something unintelligible before turning to face him and opened her eyes. "Morning, Naruto-kun. Feeling better?" She kept her voice down as she spoke and kissed Naruto softly on the lips. Naruto smiled and kissed her back before slowly sitting up, setting Ino next to him, and stretched, working the kinks out of his back from sleeping on the couch all night. "Much better, thanks to you." Ino blushed at this and leaned on him, taking one of his hands in both of her considerably smaller ones, marveling at the strength she felt. "You're welcome." Naruto was about to say something else when the sound of someone clearing their throat caused both Naruto and Ino to spin around on the couch.

Behind them, stood Ino's parents, both looking as angry as they had the night before. Naruto was stunned. Why were they angry? Surely they didn't think that they had done anything. Ino was just as stunned. Why were her parents angry? It couldn't be because she had kissed Naruto, could it? They had both already said that they didn't mind her dating, as long as she didn't, well, go too far.

After several awkward moments, Ino decided to speak. "Uh, what's up?" If anything, this seemed to make the situation worse, since her dad immediately started yelling. "Don't 'what's up' us, young lady! What are you doing with that…that _thing_!" This statement drew stares from everyone, even his wife. "Um, dear? We're not supposed to talk about that, remember?" Ino was less calm. "Thing! THING! Naruto-kun is not a thing!" "Don't talk about things that you don't understand, missy! Now, go to your room!" "But-" "NOW!" Ino slowly stood up, and, after kissing Naruto on the cheek once more (which made her parents even angrier) and whispering "Sorry" to him, she stalked off to her room.

Once she was gone, it finally dawned on Naruto why Ino-chan's parents were so angry. The kyuubi. They were some of the many people who believed that, because he held the kyuubi within him, he was evil as well. Naruto stood up as well, just as Ino's father began to speak. "As for yo-" "SHUT UP!" Naruto screamed at the man, cutting him off. "Does your own hatred mean more to you than your daughter's happiness? If it does, then keep it up. You're doing a great job at hurting her while you're trying to hurt me. And guess what? You're hurting me as well. But it doesn't matter, since I'm used to it by now. Did you think that I'm not used to this by now? For over 15 years, I've had to endure people like you, discriminating against me for something I can't control." With that, Naruto turned and raced out of the room, heading towards his apartment as fast as he could go.

After he left, Ino's parents glanced at each other. How could they be hurting their daughter? They were just trying to protect her from a monster. Of course, they were the only ones who saw it like this. Ino currently hated their guts and was busy barring her door against them. Once that was done, she placed a genjutsu over the door, so that if someone managed to come through without first dispelling the genjutsu, they'd be unable to move for quite a while. Quickly, before her parents decided to come yell at her some more, she packed her bag with everything she needed, opened her window, and took off into the city, heading towards Sakura's house. As much as she wanted to go to Naruto's, she knew that, from what she'd heard, neither of them would be very comfortable if she moved in with him, and her parents would have another reason to hate Naruto.

At this thought, she paused. Why _did _her parent's hate Naruto? Her dad had called him a thing, and said that she didn't understand. There were only two possible solutions that she could see. The first was to ask her parents about it later. But not only did she not want to do that, her mother had given her the impression that whatever the subject was, was taboo. So that just left her the second option. Ask Naruto.

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At The Hospital 

Sakura half-heartedly picked at the food that had been placed in front of her. It was a relatively nice meal, not like the cup ramen that Naruto had offered her when she had first made it clear that she wouldn't be leaving Sasuke-kun's side until he woke up. Though now she was wondering if she shouldn't stay. She was steadily losing weight, to the point that she was borderline anorexic. Not only that, but every day she stayed was another day that she wasn't spending improving her skills as a ninja, meaning that she'd be even further behind once Sasuke woke of. If he woke up.

Mentally, Sakura berated herself. Of course he would wake up! How dare she doubt him, if even for a moment? But then…why hadn't he woken up already? For almost two weeks now his body had been in perfect condition. He should have awoken already. But he hadn't. Could it be that whatever was happening inside his mind was more interesting to Sasuke then life was? Or was he perhaps held by some genjutsu or another? Sakura knew that that last option was impossible. Sasuke exhibited no symptoms of any genjutsu known, not even anything remotely similar, and they had already used various forms of releasing genjutsus on him already, just in case. Deep down, Sakura, as did many others, knew the real reason Sasuke did not awaken. He, so prideful and arrogant as he was, believing that because he was Uchiha, he was superior, was unwilling to acknowledge the fact that he had been beaten by Naruto, a boy of questionable background and no apparent bloodline ability. Sure, he had the power of the kyuubi on his side, but Sasuke didn't know that.

Slowly, Sakura stood, wincing as her legs, which hadn't supported her own weight in almost a month, protested at the sudden use. Turning, she began to walk towards the exit, intent on leaving, on getting back to her own life. But as she made it to the door, the sounds of rustling fabric made her gasp and spin around. There, in bed, Sasuke slowly sat up. "Sasuke-kun!" Sakura squealed and launched herself across the room, hugging Sasuke tightly. It was then that she realized something was wrong. His eyes were completely blank. His entire face showed no emotion at all, not even the usual cold arrogance.

Just as she was about to comment on it, a strong hand clasped over her mouth, and another gripped her shoulder. In less than a second, the room was empty, except for Sakura, who was lying against the wall, her left shoulder shattered, most of her ribs cracked, one even poked through her skin, and her right leg twisted around.

Some time later, Sakura awoke, sitting bolt upright and screamed. "Sasuke-kun!" Quickly and gently, a hand pressed her back against the bed she was now lying in. Above her loomed Tsunade. "Sakura, what happened? Who did this to you? And where's Sasuke?" At these questions, Sakura burst into tears, which unnerved the crowd of people who were behind the Hokage even more. Every genin that had been at the party was there now.

After some time, Sakura managed to compose herself enough to speak. "It…it was…"

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Mwuahahahaha! Behold the evilness that is a cliffhanger! Okay, so not really, since it's pretty obvious who did it… Anyway, I was actually planning on continuing beyond this point, but I felt as though it broke better here than where I had originally intended it too. But, on the bright side, as of this chapter, I've decided to put in a sort of sneak preview of the upcoming chapter.

Coming Up in Chapter 3: With Friends Like These, Who Needs Enemies?

The Uchiha clan is no more within Konoha. Naruto and Ino's relationship is made public, and Sakura finds herself feeling jealous. And to top things off, Shikamaru returns from his mission intent on asking Ino out.


	3. With Friends Like These

Hurrah! No overly long A/Ns here. Just saying thanks to the people who've already reviewed.

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Chapter 3:

With Friends Like These, Who Needs Enemies?

**Recap:**

After some time, Sakura managed to compose herself enough to speak. "It…it was…"

**End Recap**

"It was Sasuke." As Sakura spoke these words an eerie silence fell over the group. Naruto was the first one to break the silence, squeezing Ino's hand as he did so. "Sasuke did this? _Sasuke_ attacked you!" Sakura just nodded, unwilling, or unable, to make eye contact with any of them.

Cursing under her breath, Tsunade gestured for Lee to come forwards as she pulled a scroll out of her pocket. Quickly, she wrote a note on it, sealed the scroll, and handed it to Lee. "Take this to my office. Give it to one of my aids and instruct them to call in the ANBU." Lee nodded and took off, though it was plain to everyone that he was reluctant to leave Sakura. Well, everyone except for Sakura, who had winced when Tsunade said to call in the ANBU. That could only mean that Sasuke-kun was being declared a missing nin.

After standing in awkward silence for about twenty minutes, Lee returned. "Sorry it took so long. Your aids insisted that I wait for the ANBU myself, and give them the scroll." Tsunade nodded, she had expected that. "Good work Lee. Alright then, I'm giving everyone here an order. Go home, resume your normal lives, and do not, I repeat, do not go after Sasuke. You too, Haruno. You're in good enough condition to head home." She then waited just long enough to get everyone's promises, then left, followed by everyone but Naruto and Ino.

Ino, unable to control herself anymore, flung her arms around Sakura's neck and hugged her tightly. "Sakura-chan! I was so worried about you! Are you feeling alright?" Sakura giggled slightly, something she hadn't expected, since she was still depressed about Sasuke, and hugged Ino back. "No, I'm not feeling alright. But I will soon, hopefully." Ino nodded and stood back up again. "Oh, and I was wondering. Do you think I could stay with you for a while?"

Sakura frowned as she slid out of the bed and pulled on her shoes. "Um, okay. But why?" To her surprise, Ino glanced at Naruto before answering. "Well, this morning, me and my parents had a huge fight, and I'm really not up to seeing them for a while." "Dare I ask what the fight was about?" Ino was about to speak when Naruto cut her off, surprising Sakura even more. "Me. The fight was about me. Ino-chan's parents don't approve of us being together, so…" He trailed off and shrugged as he finished speaking. "Wait, wait, wait. Did you just say you two were _together_? Since when?" Ino smiled as she grabbed Naruto's hand again and leaned against him. "Since the party yesterday. We were on our way to tell you when, we um, were told you were attacked by someone." Sakura grinned and hugged them both before heading towards the door. "Congrats, then, on getting together. Naruto, just don't drive Ino-pig _too_ crazy, alright? She might be your girlfriend now, but _I'm_ the one who's gonna be living with her."

Both Naruto and Ino laughed at this, then Naruto kissed Ino on the cheek. "Well, you two have fun getting Ino-chan settled in. I'll see you at the ramen shop in about 3 hours, Ino-chan." As he started through the door, Ino frowned. "Where are you going, then?" "Ah, Ero-sennin wanted me for something. Not sure what, though. Anyway, later!" As Naruto left the room, Ino and Sakura glanced at each other, then back at the door, both thinking the same thing. What did Jiraiya want with Naruto?

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Later, at Sakura's house 

Ino grinned as she finished unpacking her things into the guest bedroom. Sakura's parents had been remarkably open to the whole idea, provided that Ino first told them why she had fled her parents' house. Once she had recounted the whole tale, they just chuckled and shook their heads before leaving Ino and Sakura alone, which both girls were grateful for. Ino, because it meant that she didn't have to answer any questions, and Sakura because it gave her a chance to think about how she felt about all of this. At first she was perfectly happy for Ino, seeing as Naruto seemed to be perfect for her, for some reason. But after some time, every time Ino's relationship with Naruto was brought up, Sakura couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.

Of course, she told herself, this was only natural. Ino and Naruto had a chance to be happy together, while her last hopes of every being with Sasuke had been completely dashed. Not that she still wanted him, however, after he had nearly killed her without a second thought.

When Ino left to meet back up with Naruto later that evening, Sakura was shocked by her own second personality. Inner Sakura was currently going on a tirade about why Naruto should be hers, that he had loved her _first_, not Ino. But what was most shocking was that she found herself agreeing with Inner Sakura completely. Sure, Inner Sakura reflected her inner desires and stronger personality, but they had never agreed _that_ well before.

Sighing, she headed towards the bathroom, intending to take a nice, long soak. And, as she thought over her feelings again, she hoped and prayed with all of her heart that she would be strong enough not to let feelings about Naruto ruin her friendship with Ino, just barely patched up after it had been torn asunder by their mutual feelings about Sasuke.

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At the ramen shop 

Ino sighed as she leaned back in her seat. Either Naruto's sense of time had gotten even more off than usual lately, or whatever Jiraiya wanted with him was taking longer than expected. Personally, she hoped for the latter, since she really didn't want to have to deal with a chronically tardy boyfriend.

After waiting for a bit more, she decided to order, even though Naruto wasn't there. He'd understand, and probably would've done the same if she had been the late one. As she was about to start in on her noodles, a hand tapped her on the shoulder and Shikamaru slid into the seat next to her. "Shikamaru! How was the mission?" Shikamaru shrugged and ordered a bowl for himself. "It was a mess. I can't tell you any more about it, since it's classified, but I can say that I doubt anything else could've gone wrong with it." Ino winced at this news and began to slurp down her ramen. "Aw, come on. It couldn't have been that bad." "It _was_ that bad. Anyway, can I ask you something, Ino-chan?" Ino grinned and poked Shikamaru on the forehead. "Of course, silly, you just did. And you know that you can always ask me anything. Unless I'm pissed for some reason, then that probably wouldn't be so wise." Shikamaru grinned and muttered something under his breath that sounded an awful lot like 'why do you think I was asking?', which earned him a slap on the back of the head by Ino.

Chuckling, he turned to face Ino, and he suddenly seemed a whole lot more serious. "Ino-chan. Will you… I mean, would you…" "Shikamaru, just spit it out already!" "Ino-chan, would you go out with me?"

Ino was stunned. This was definitely not what she had expected. "Um, sorry Shikamaru, but I'm already going out with someone else." Shikamaru groaned and let his head fall onto the counter. He had waited too long to ask her. "Who are you going out with?" Ino was about to answer when Naruto entered the shop. "Ino-chan! Sorry I'm late. Ero-sennin kept remembering extra things he needed to tell me." Taking a seat on the other side of Ino, he kissed her cheek, then looked over at Shikamaru. "Hey! Shikamaru! How was the mission?"

Quickly, Shikamaru placed some money down to pay for his order of ramen, then fled the shop. Naruto was thoroughly confused by this, but happily ate the ramen that Shikamaru had left untouched. "What's wrong with him? Was the mission really that bad." Ino bit her lip as she looked back at Naruto. "Apparently everything that could go wrong did go wrong. But that wasn't why he fled. You see, right before you showed up, Shikamaru asked me out on a date. I said no of course, but you see how that works." Naruto winced and nodded. He knew how that worked alright, the number of times he had been rejected by Sakura just because she wanted to go out with that Sasuke-bastard. "Damn. If I could've just gotten here sooner, I bet we could've saved a lot of hassle." Ino shrugged, then kissed him softly on the lips. "Well, it wasn't your fault. So lets just enjoy the meal." Naruto grinned as he kissed her back, then dug into the ramen again, earning a giggle from Ino.

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Once again, I am writing this at just past midnight, like I did with all of my other pieces. For some strange reason, I'm more creative at this time. Weird, huh? Anyway, here's a sneak preview of Chapter 4!

Coming Up in Chapter 4: Who Needs Sleep?

Problems arise several weeks after Ino moves into Sakura's house when Sakura accidentally lets slip her feelings about Naruto. Not only that, but Shikamaru has developed something of a drinking problem, which isn't helped by the fact that he is underage. And if that wasn't enough, several ANBU turn up, dead, with patterns carved into their foreheads that look suspiciously like sharingan eyes.


	4. Who Needs Sleep?

Okay, I just have a couple of things to say before going on to the story. First off, thank you everyone who reviewed. And second, please check the update date before saying "please update soon" or anything like that. It's a bit annoying to read a review asking me to "update soon" less than a day after I put up a new chapter. And third, this chapter's title is the name of a song. If you can tell me who the song is by, I'll mention you in the next chapter. Only the first person to get it right, though.

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Chapter 4:

Who Needs Sleep?

Shikamaru groaned as he opened his eyes, trying to remember where he was, and why his head hurt so much. He soon remembered as he tried to stand and promptly collapsed again as the world started spinning. _Stupid hangovers_.

It was almost a month since he had asked Ino out, and ever since then he had been sneaking into a bar a night, under the disguise of Henge no Jutsu. It wouldn't do for him to get caught, since he was trying to drink _away_ his problems, not add more to them. Of course, waking with a hangover every morning was a problem. Especially since, like today, he didn't always wake up at home.

Groaning, he tried standing up again, bracing himself against the building next to him, and started walking towards the road. He grimaced when he saw the sign of the building he was using as a crutch. _Great, I didn't even manage to make it away from the bar this time._

Another problem was that he was rapidly running out of money, due to how much he was spending on sake. He hoped that the Hokage would have a mission to send him on, since he'd have to cut seriously back on his spending if he was forced to live on just his small salary. Normally he'd just ask his parents for money, but in this case he didn't want them to find out, since what he was doing _was _technically illegal.

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At Sakura's house 

Sakura groaned as she slid out of bed, feeling exhausted. For almost a month now she'd been having trouble sleeping. No one seemed to notice, though, which was a good thing. She didn't think she could handle explaining why to anyone. After all, she'd always treated Naruto poorly, up until recently, and it would be a bit awkward to tell someone she wished that she was his girlfriend, instead of Ino.

Slowly, she got dressed, then headed to the kitchen, where she was greeted by a smiling Ino. "Good morning, Sakura-chan!" Sakura, too tired to say anything, just nodded and sat down at the table. Ino just shrugged and went back to fixing breakfast, humming. Sakura frowned slightly, trying to figure out why Ino was so happy. Mentally, she kicked herself when she remembered why. Ino had had a date with Naruto last night, and it obviously had gone well. Though she knew it was cold of her, she really hoped that the date would fail. If their date had failed, one of them might start to get tired of the other, then, eventually, Sakura would have a shot at Naruto. Like that would ever happen, though. Naruto and Ino were too close to let just a single ruined date mess up their relationship. Maybe a whole string of bad dates, but not just one.

Sakura was pulled out of her musing as Ino set a plate of eggs in front of her before taking a seat across from her with another plate of eggs. After eating in silence for a while, Sakura forced herself to speak. "So, Ino-chan, how was your date last night?"

Ino seemed to radiate with happiness at the thought of her date. "It was wonderful! Naruto-kun took me to that really fancy restaurant across town, you know, The Shinobi Way. I have no idea where he got the money for it, but he did somehow, and it was wonderful. Though I don't understand why people kept glaring at us. Well, Naruto-kun mostly, but me too. I mean, I know not many people like him, but I thought that was because of all the pranks he pulled, and he hasn't done anything in a long time."

Suddenly, Sakura stood up, knocking her plate to the floor in her haste, tears streaming down her cheeks. "It isn't fair! Why do you have a boyfriend when I don't even have a shot at the person I love?" Her voice was choked and straining as she spoke and slowly sank to her knees, holding her head in her hands.

Ino frowned and stood up, walked around the table, and knelt next to Sakura, drawing her into a hug. "Shh, it's okay. Sasuke will come to his senses sooner or later and return, apologize or something, and get taken off the missing nin list." Her frown deepened as Sakura stiffened in her arms, shaking her head. "N-no. Not Sasuke. H-he tried to kill me. I don't ever want to see him again." Sakura cried even harder as she spoke, but still refused to hug Ino back. After all, she was the one who kept her from having a shot at the person she loved. "Who then?" Ino asked calmly as she slowly released Sakura. It was obvious that Sakura didn't want to be comforted right now.

Sakura glared at Ino as she stood up and began to leave the room. "I can't tell you." Ino shook her head as she stood up as well. "What, is it Naruto-kun or something?" She laughed as she spoke, knowing that her question was completely absurd. She soon stopped as Sakura froze in the doorway. "No, it can't be Naruto-kun." Sakura still didn't answer, or even move. "No! Naruto-kun is mine! Stay away from him!" Slowly Sakura looked over her shoulder, her face showing a haunted expression. "I told you I didn't have a shot at the person I loved." She then left the room, intending to go soak for a while, leaving a very surprised and stunned Ino in the kitchen.

Ino was speechless. _Sakura-chan in love with Naruto-kun? How can that be possible? She's always treated him like dirt. I mean, I used to treat him rudely, but nothing compared to what Sakura did to him._ Shaking her head in a futile attempt to clear it, she cleaned up what was left of breakfast and headed out of the house to find Naruto. More than anything right now, she needed to be held by him, needed to be reassured that she wouldn't lose him to Sakura.

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In the streets of Konoha 

Naruto frowned as he saw Shikamaru walking along rather tipsily, wondering what was wrong. When he approached Shikamaru to ask, Naruto gasped as he realized that Shikamaru was drunk. Hurriedly, he caught up with Shikamaru and tapped him on the shoulder. "Uh, Shikamaru? You okay?"

At Naruto's touch, Shikamaru whirled around, startled. He had been lost in his own, mostly incoherent, thoughts, most of which centered on taking Ino from Naruto, some even centered on killing him. Scowling as he saw who was in front of him, he pulled out a kunai and lunged at Naruto, slashing wildly. Naruto gasped and leapt back, just barely avoiding the knife that Shikamaru so carelessly wielded. He didn't know what Shikamaru thought he was doing, but he knew he had to defend himself. No one else was around, so he couldn't call for help. Gritting his teeth, Naruto charged at Shikamaru.

After several minutes, the fight was still going on. Thankfully, Shikamaru seemed to have forgotten that he could use Kage Mane; otherwise Naruto probably would be unconscious or dead by now. Both boys were covered in cuts and bruises as they separated for what felt like the millionth time. Normally, Naruto could have dispatched Shikamaru in an instant, but he didn't want to seriously harm him, since he was apparently drunk, and the aforementioned drunkenness added too much unpredictability to Shikamaru's motions.

Intent on ending the fight, Naruto charged in once more, forming a rasengan as he did so. Ducking under Shikamaru's guard, he slammed the ball of wind into Shikamaru's gut, blasting him into the building behind him, and knocking him out. Naruto then walked over to Shikamaru and bent over to pick him up. He didn't get that far. Halfway down, Naruto stiffened, and collapsed. He groaned as he realized that Shikamaru's kunai had been poisoned. Last thing he saw before blacking out was a masked ANBU bending over him.

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In the Hokage's office 

Tsunade sighed as she read over the report once more. Apparently Shikamaru, who had somehow managed to get himself drunk, she'd have to check on how later, had attacked Naruto using a poisoned kunai. Naruto had fought back, clearly unwilling to hurt his friend, and ended up knocking him out before falling prey to the toxin that had entered his body through the many small cuts he had sustained during the fight. All of that was hard enough to believe on its own. But throw in the fact that the ANBU member who had witnessed the events hadn't done anything about them until _after _the fight was over and the whole situation became downright impossible. Except that it wasn't impossible. It had really happened.

Judging from the state Naruto had been in when she had been called in to work on him, Shikamaru had fully intended on killing him. The poison on the recovered kunai and in Naruto's system was lethal on a level that Tsunade didn't like to think about. In fact, the poison was so strong that she had banned it as one of her first acts as Hokage. How Shikamaru had managed to get a hold of it was another thing she'd have to find out from him later.

Sighing again, she signed the document for Shikamaru's arrest and handed it to the captain of the police squad that had been awaiting her decision. The captain bowed deeply, as did the other members of the squad, then left. They'd wait until Shikamaru recovered from his injuries enough to travel, and then take him to the prison.

Tsunade was about to stand up when a member of the ANBU came in through the window and handed her a document before disappearing. Upon reading the contents, she almost screamed in frustration. She didn't need this, not on top of everything else.

The ANBU squad sent after Uchiha Sasuke had been found in a pile just outside Konoha, dead. On each of their foreheads was a mark in the shape of a sharingan eye, and each had two small puncture wounds on their necks. Bite marks. It appeared that Sasuke had indeed gone to Orochimaru.

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At the hospital 

Ino hadn't believed it at first when she was told what had happened. And she kept not believing it up until she saw Naruto's still form lying in a hospital bed. How could her best friend have attacked her boyfriend? It made no sense! Sure, Shikamaru had been jealous of Naruto at first, since he had wanted to date her, but he had gotten over that, hadn't he? And he wouldn't have done something this stupid just for something like that. Would he?

Choking back a sob, she flung her arms around Naruto's body and began to cry, her face pressed into his chest. How could he be in a coma? Naruto was stronger than this! He just had to wake up, he just had to!

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And I have decided to be evil again, and cut off the story at such a dramatic point. Of course, I'm just doing this because I feel it is a good place to break off the chapter, not because I like torturing you guys. Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed the longest chapter yet!

Coming Up in Chapter 5: Let Her Cry

Naruto wakes up to find his chest and shirt completely soaked, thanks to a sobbing Ino. Ino moves out of Sakura's house, unable to take the tension between her and Sakura, due to her being Naruto's girlfriend, and Sakura wishing that _she _was his girlfriend. And finally, Naruto is kidnapped, causing everyone who knows Naruto to panic, especially Ino and Sakura.


	5. Let Her Cry

Wow. Apparently I offended some people with the last chapter. Of course, I kinda expected that to happen, though I didn't think people would complain about the OOCness (is that a word?) of Shikamaru. C'mon people! He was drunk! Do you really think people stay the same when they're drunk? Cause if you do, there are some people I want to introduce to you. And no one even tried to guess who wrote the song last chapter was named after! Well, you can still try, and you can even try for this chapter as well. Alright, with that said, on to the story!

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Chapter 5:

Let Her Cry

Naruto groaned as he tried to sit up, only to discover that he hadn't fully recovered from the poison yet. Gasping in pain, he collapsed back on the bed as Ino groaned as well and lifted her head off of his chest. As he smiled down at her he noticed the state of his shirt. It was almost completely see through. _Holy crap. How long was Ino-chan crying on me before she passed out, or whatever? Or did someone just spill water on me?_

As Ino threw herself on him again, apologizing as he groaned, and pulled him into a kiss, it was obvious that she had, indeed, been crying. Her face was red, her cheeks were streaked and her eyes were red and swollen. After a moment, Naruto broke the kiss and brushed Ino's hair off of her face. "You didn't think a little something like that would take me down, did you?" Ino shook her head as she dried her eyes, then hugged Naruto tightly. Suppressing a groan, boy was he ever sore, Naruto hugged her back. "What's going to happen to Shikamaru?"

At his question Ino suddenly pulled away from him and shook her head, trying not to cry again. "That _bastard_ is going to jail where he belongs." Naruto frowned and gently touched Ino's cheek. "Ino-chan, don't call him a bastard. He wasn't in control of his actions." At this, Ino felt her heart lift. Maybe she had been completely wrong about Shikamaru! Maybe he was completely innocent! "You mean, someone was controlling him?" It was Naruto's turn to shake his head. "I wish. No, no one was controlling him." Ino was confused by this, and it was obvious. "What did you mean, then?" "Ino-chan, Shikamaru was drunk."

Ino gasped and buried her face in Naruto's chest. "He never got over it, then. He never got over the fact that we were going out, and not me and him." Naruto nodded and held Ino tightly. "I guess. But the fact that he didn't have anyone to turn to about it didn't help much." Ino frowned again as she stood up and brushed Naruto's hair out of his face, just like he had done for her moments before. "What about Choji, or Asuma-san? Or his parents?" "Well, Asuma's been on a mission for the past month, Choji isn't exactly the best for talking about girls, trust me on that, and his parents, well, saying his mom is strict is like saying that I like ramen, it just doesn't cover it, and his dad pretty much thinks women are nothing but a bother, except for the special someone that every has, somewhere." Ino nodded and kissed Naruto's forehead, then frowned again. "Wait a second. When did you talk to Choji about girls?" Naruto grinned. "I asked him and Shikamaru a bunch of questions when I still had that crush on Sakura-chan." Ino giggled at this, for some reason, then started to leave. "Well, I need to get home. Sakura-chan was worried about you and I promised that I'd tell her when you woke up. That, and I need to sleep. I'll be back later, Naruto-kun!" With that, she disappeared out of the door. Smiling, Naruto resettled himself on his pillows, and drifted off to sleep.

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At Sakura's house 

Sakura sighed as she checked over her gear for the umpteenth time. She just couldn't take her mind off of Naruto. Poor Naruto, attacked by someone else he thought of as a friend, and hospitalized again for it as well. As much as she hated Ino at the moment for keeping her from Naruto, she couldn't wait for her to come home, because that would mean Naruto had woken up.

Just as she thought that, Ino poked her head through the door. "Hey! Forehead girl! Naruto-kun woke up, though the Hokage decided, after reexamining Naruto-kun, that no one is to visit him. Though you might still have a chance to see him, I'm not sure though. Anyway, I'm going to bed now." Sakura slowly stood up, ignoring the numbness in her legs and nodded. "Thanks, though don't call me forehead girl, Ino-pig!" Ino snorted and headed towards her room. "Stop calling me Ino-pig, and I'll stop calling you forehead girl." Sakura just shook her head and turned to leave as well, even though Inner Sakura was in favor of throwing everything that wasn't fixed in place at Ino.

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Three days later 

Ino packed all of her things up as quickly as she could, thanked Sakura's parents for letting her stay, then hurried out of the house. Things had finally come to a breaking point the previous night, and both Ino and Sakura had decided that they could no longer live under the same roof as each other, as long as they both wanted Naruto. And since Ino had no intentions of going back to live with her parents, who had taken to ignoring Ino whenever they saw her in public, that only left her one place to go.

Several minutes later saw her knocking on the door of a rather beat-up looking apartment. Soon, a rather sleepy looking Naruto opened the door. It was obvious he hadn't been up for long, since he still had his pajama pants on, and his shirt was off. Ino blushed slightly at this last fact, then kissed Naruto quickly on the lips. Naruto had just realized who was at his door, apparently, and kissed her back. "Ino-chan! Why are you here? And why do you have those bags?" As he spoke, he stepped back to let Ino in, closing the door once she was inside. Ino smiled and set down her bags before replying. "Well, I was wondering if I could move in with you. Certain things have made it impossible for me to stay with Sakura-chan any longer, and I refuse to go back to my parents' house as long as they still hate you." She neglected to mention the fact that her parents pretended that she didn't exist, and the reason she couldn't stay with Sakura anymore was because she liked Naruto as well.

Naruto was shocked. Ino, move in with him? He hadn't even thought about anything like that happening. Naruto quickly came to his senses and nodded. "O-Of course you can. That is, if you don't mind the fact that it's a bit cramped here, and that I only have one bed." Ino nodded and hugged Naruto, who hugged her back. "That's fine with me. Just don't try anything funny while I'm asleep, okay?" Naruto blushed at the thought and shook his head. "I'd never do anything like _that._ You're too important to me." Fighting back a blush of her own, Ino poked Naruto's nose. "So, you only peep on girls that aren't important to you, huh?" "Hey, I haven't done that for a long time!" Ino giggled at this and kissed his forehead. "I know, sweetie, I know. I was just teasing."

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Two weeks later 

Time had passed with no real incident. For a while the fact that Ino and Naruto now lived together was the talk of the town, some of the more daring and rebellious people even started calling her "the demon's bitch", but that talk quickly died down as people soon realized that Naruto and Ino's relationship was as chaste as an old married couple's. Of course, no one who had already started calling Ino "the demon's bitch" stopped, but they no longer drew laughs when the talked about her, and it was rare enough that Ino and Naruto didn't find out that that name even existed. If Ino had, though, it definitely would have made her wonder.

So, as Ino opened the door to the apartment, back from her "mission", as if you could really call walking dogs a mission, she didn't expect what she saw. The whole apartment had been torn apart. Dishes were smashed, the walls had gouge marks in them, and there was even blood spattered about. On the inside of the door, held in place by a kunai, were a note and a picture. The note read: "We have your precious little demon. As I thought, he was no match for me. You won't be getting him back unless Tsunade and her apprentice come alone, and unarmed, to the place specified on the back of the photograph. If anyone else comes, he will be killed."

The note was enough to freeze the blood in Ino's veins, and she had to fight to keep from fainting when she looked at the picture. There was Naruto, bound and gagged, tied to a chair and bleeding from several deep cuts. But the worst part was the person standing over him, leering. It was Sasuke. A very demonic and demented looking Sasuke, but Sasuke nonetheless.

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Okay, maybe I do like ending things on cliffhangers. Or maybe it's because, with the way I write, things don't break nicely right after something's been concluded. Either way, I'm not gonna waste my time trying to figure out the correct answer.

Coming Up in Chapter 6: Best Friends Part I

Tsunade and Sakura head to the place listed on the back of the photo, alone an unarmed. Tsunade goes with plans of how to end the conflict with as little fighting as possible, while Sakura goes with plans of tearing Sasuke limb from limb. Ino, having been forced to stay behind, is visited by her parents when it is made clear to the whole village that she has already decided to devote her entire life to Naruto. But can she take the truth about Naruto's past?


	6. Best Friends Part I

Just one piece of news to tell you all. Alex Armstrong (forgive me if I misspelled your name) has kindly offered to translate the series into Spanish. I think that's pretty cool, because it means that he likes the series enough to want to bring it to people who can't read English. Anyhoo, onto the story! And beware, this chapter will be a cliffhanger. Also, this chapter will have more cussing than the others, and at least one person will die. You have been warned.

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Chapter 6:

Best Friends Part I

Tsunade stared down at Sakura, who was currently working on a new medical jutsu, designed as a last ditch resort to keep a person alive and fighting long after their bodies should have normally failed. In all honesty, it was a terrible technique, but with Orochimaru getting more and more bold, every little bit of strength was needed.

Just as Tsunade was about to inspect Sakura's work by placing the fish, which was injured past the point of salvation before, in water and seeing how it held up, Ino burst into the room, looking scared and out of breath as she clutched a piece of paper tightly in her hand.

"Ino, what's wr-" Ino cut her off by thrusting the paper- and photograph, apparently-under Tsunade's nose, obviously not trusting herself to speak, as she was on the verge of tears. Taking the paper and photograph, she quickly read the note and looked at the photo, paling. "Sakura." Sakura, who was looking terrified by the state of Ino, finally took her eyes off of Ino and looked at Tsunade. "Yes, Tsunade-sensei?" "Gather all the supplies you would need for an A-rank mission." She then thrust the note into Sakura's hands and quickly left the room.

Upon reading the note, Sakura felt her blood run cold. But, after looking at the photograph, that chill was replaced by burning anger. However, after looking at Ino again, that anger was momentarily forgotten as both girls clung to each other and began to cry. After a while they separated, Ino blowing her nose on a handkerchief she pulled from her pocket, and Sakura wiping her eyes. "D-Don't worry, Ino-chan. We'll bring him back, I promise." Ino smiled at this and nodded. "And promise me that you'll beat the crap out of Sasuke while you're at it, okay?" Sakura giggled and nodded as well. "Of course. He hurt Naruto-kun again, so there's no way I'm letting him get away without some major pain at the very least." Sakura then left, heading home so she could pack. Ino headed home as well, glad that at least something good had come out of Sasuke kidnapping Naruto. She didn't know how long she'd remain friends with Sakura this time, nor did she care. All she cared about was making the most out of what time they did stay friends.

As Ino headed back towards Naruto's, and hers too, she guessed, apartment, she passed her parents again. And although she looked at them, they didn't even so much as glance in her direction. Saddened by this, she kept walking for a little bit. She would have kept going, but a rather drunk looking man blocked her way. "Hey bitch. Where's that stupid demon of yours?" Suddenly, Ino, unable to take any more, punched the man, hard, on the nose, sending him flying, all of her anger at Sasuke being channeled into the blow. "WHY DO YOU CALL HIM A DEMON? HE'S NEVER DONE ANYTHING TO DESERVE WHAT PEOPLE LIKE YOU DO TO HIM!" Calming down a bit, she stopped shouting. "And I swear. The next person I hear insulting Naruto I will personally kill. No matter who that person is." With that, she broke into a run.

Reaching the relative safety of the apartment, she flung open the door and, without even bothering to close the door behind her, ran to the bedroom where she flung herself down on the bed and began to sob. She would have laid like that for the rest of the day if she had not felt someone's hand on her shoulder. Gasping, she spun around and sat up. "Why are you here? Did you come to see if I really would kill the next person to insult Naruto? Because I will, even if that means killing you. He's never done anything to deserve how the villagers treat him. Sure he's preformed pranks and such, but nothing to deserve being called a demon."

Ino's father frowned, not speaking, as her mother took a seat next to her and gently wrapped her arm around Ino, gently hugging her. "They call him that because he _is_ a demon." At this Ino stiffened. How could Naruto be a demon? They had to be lying! "Wh-what do you mean?" "Do you know of the kyuubi, the demon fox who attacked our village the year you were born?" It was Ino's father who spoke this time. Stunned, Ino nodded. "The one that the Fourth killed?" Her mother shook her head at this. "No. The demon was too strong to be killed. Instead, he was sealed away. You see, Naruto is the kyuubi." Ino jumped to her feet and slowly backed away from her parents. "No! You're lying! Naruto isn't a demon, he's a sweet and kind human being!" "Dear, he isn't. Now, please, come home. You're not safe being around him." "GET OUT!" Ino screamed at the top of her lungs, earning her shocked looks from her parents. "I won't listen to this anymore! How dare you come into Naruto-kun's and mine apartment and try to turn me away from him!" Then, without saying a word, her parents got up and left, leaving a very confused and frightened Ino to collapse back onto the bed, sobbing. _Oh, Naruto. Please be safe! I don't care what you might or might not be, I still want to be with you!_

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At the specified location 

Tsunade and Sakura shifted nervously as they waited for Sasuke, and possibly Orochimaru, to appear. Why this location had been chosen, Tsunade couldn't figure out. They were standing in the ruins of the castle, where Orochimaru had tried to get Tsunade to heal his arms.

They didn't have to wait long. After only a few more minutes, a grinning Sasuke stepped out from beind a large pile of debris, followed by Orochimaru and, finally, Kabuto, who was carrying a very beat up Naruto. It took all of Sakura's will power, with a bit of help from Tsunade's hand on her shoulder, to keep her from charging blindly at them. Quickly, before her pupil did anything stupid, Tsunade spoke. "What is it that you want? Why did you kidnap Naruto?" She was expecting Orochimaru to answer, but instead, Sasuke did. "Several reasons. First and foremost was to show you that even in your stupid little village, we can still strike at you easily. Second was to prove to myself that this pathetic loser over here," Sakura clenched her fists at this, so hard that her nails drew blood. "Was truly no match for me. And, third was because we needed a bargening chip of some kind, and we knew that you had a soft spot for the demon brat." Sakura was confused at this, but Tsunade was shocked. Why had Orochimaru revealed Naruto's secret to Sasuke? "Very well, then. What do you want?" It was Orochimaru's turn to speak now. "I want just one thing. You will show me how to perform that new jutsu of yours. I find it rather…appealing." _Of course. Only you could find the prospect of commanding cadavars like that appealing, Orochimaru._ Tsunade thought, before answering. "Very well, then. Give Naruto to my apprentice, then, and I shall show you the jutsu."

Sakura couldn't belive her ears. Why was Tsunade giving in so easily? It didn't make sense! Sure, she wanted to rescure Naruto as much as, if not more than Tsunade did, but she didn't want to give Orochimaru what he wanted without taking something else in return. So, when Kabuto approached her to hand her Naruto's unconcious form, she gathered chakra in her palm as steathily as she could, and slammed her palm into Kabuto's forehead. The chakra Sakura had collected slammed straight through his skull and essentially liquified his brain, killing him instantly. Quickly, she grabbed Naruto and moved back.

Once Sasuke realized what had happened, he leapt towards Sakura with a snarl, a chidori forming in his hand, only to be intercepted by Tsunade, whose punch was strong enough to knock out any normal person. Of course, Sasuke wasn't a normal person, so it just sent him flying and caused him to release the energy he had gathered for his half-formed chidori. Tsunade glanced at Sakura, who was quickly treating Naruto's wounds, then back at Orochimaru. Though she had hoped to avoid conflict, she really was grateful that she didn't have to show Orochimaru anything. Orochimaru, however, seemed content to let Sasuke do all the fighting. And fight Sasuke did. As soon as he recovered from Tsunade's punch, he lept at her this time, ducking under her guard and slashing across her stomach with a kunai before leaping back. Quickly she healed the wound, then threw another punch at him, this time with enough force to crush the bones in anyone's body. Provided it hit, of course. Sasuke narrowly dodged the blow, lashing out with his kunai again, which caused Tsunade to punch the ground, making a rather large crater and sent out shards of dirt and rock flying in every direction. At a look from Tsunade, Sakura picked Naruto back up again and fled. Sasuke seemed not to notice, however, as he continued his assault on Tsunade, confining himself to rather basic taijutsu from some reason.

Then, once Sakura was out of harms way, it hit her. Sasuke didn't really want to hurt Sakura. That, and he was saving energy, for after blocking a particularly nasty punch, she faltered a bit, and that was when Sasuke struck. Moving so fast that he could not be seen, Sasuke kicked Tsunade hard, on the chin, sending her skywards. He then lept up, wrapping his arms around her middle, pinning both of her arms to her sides as they began to fall, spinning like a drill as they did so. Sasuke screamed out "Initial Lotus!" as they impacted, and lept aside before closing back in on the stunned Hokage. He was about to thrust a chidori through her lung when someone collided with him and sent him sprawling across the ground. "You don't know when to quit, do you?" Sasuke sneered at the new arrival. "Oh, I know when to quit. It just isn't time for that now."

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Ooo, cliffhangerness! Who is the new person? I have a feeling that most of you know, but that doesn't really matter. Anyway, I promise that, from now on, I'll do everything in my power to avoid writing cliffhangers. That doesn't mean I won't write one from time to time, since sometimes that's the best way to end a situation, but I'll do my best to avoid them.

Coming Up in Chapter 7: Best Friends Part II

The new arrival is revealed! After the fight is over, Naruto is brought back to Konoha by a very scared Sakura and a very bruised Tsunade, much to the chagrin of the majority of the village. But what's most shocking to the village is that along with them is the corpse of the once respected Uchiha Sasuke.


	7. Best Friends Part II

I'd like to say thanks to everyone who reviewed. And, incase everyone was wondering, I wrote the author's notes for last chapter _before_ writing the chapter, so I ended up putting in a warning about cussing that I didn't need. Heck, there was only one cuss word in the entire chapter. Though in this one, there will definitely be plenty of cussing. Also, I'd like to thank everyone who guessed whom the newcomer was. Someone even emailed me and asked if it was Itachi. I never expected that anyone would suspect Itachi of it, and, although I expected it, I'm sorry to say that Ino will not be the one to kick Sasuke's ass. That would've been interesting, but she's still sobbing on top of Naruto's bed. Anyway, on to the story!

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Chapter 7:

Best Friends Part II

Recap 

"You don't know when to quit, do you?" Sasuke sneered at the new arrival. "Oh, I know when to quit. It just isn't time for that now."

**End Recap**

Standing proudly, glaring down at Sasuke, was Naruto. Sakura had been shocked when the unconscious boy in her arms had suddenly shot up and charged at Sasuke, but she was scared as she looked at Naruto now. All his wounds were completely healed, despite the fact that she had just started healing him, starting with the biggest wounds first. Not only that, but something seemed a bit strange about him. Then it hit her. Naruto was covered in a layer of chakra, almost like a second skin, but the chakra wasn't his own. It was, well, red, for the lack of a better way to describe it. Not like the gentle yellow his chakra normally was.

Tsunade cursed under her breath as she staggered back, healing herself as she moved away from Naruto and towards Sakura. It seemed that the kyuubi had decided to come out and play, though why it was helping Naruto was beyond her. Only one thing was for certain, and that was if she and Sakura stayed, Naruto wouldn't be able to go all out in his fight. So, she grabbed Sakura and began to run as fast as she could away from the two boys, ignoring Sakura's protests.

Sasuke glanced around when he realized that Tsunade and Sakura had run off. In fact, Orochimaru had disappeared as well. "Fucking bastard. Where'd he go this time?" Shaking his head, he looked back at Naruto and grinned. "So, it seems that you didn't learn your lesson when I kicked your ass this morning."

Naruto cracked his knuckles as he slowly advanced on Sasuke, his three tails of chakra swaying behind him. "No, I learned my lesson alright. I learned that you need three helpers, two snakes, and poison gas to take me on. One on one, though. That's another matter. I beat you last time, and I can beat you again." With that line, Naruto struck with such speed and abruptness, that Sasuke barely got away.

_Damn it! My eyes are barely picking up his movements! Could he really have improved this much in only a couple of months? No matter._ As he dodged out of the way of another one of Naruto's blows, he quickly formed hand signals, and struck. "Grand Fireball no Jutsu!" Rearing his head back, then snapping it forwards, Sasuke unleashed a tremendous gout of flame from his mouth, scorching the earth where Naruto had been just a split second before.

"Shit!" Naruto had just barely been able to dodge the flames. Unable to see exactly what Sasuke had been planning, he had had less than a millisecond to react to the fireball. As he quickly put out the flames that smoldered on his left leg, his foot had been hit with the fireball, he charged at Sasuke again.

As the fight continued on for the next hour Naruto was glad, and not for the first time, that he had the kyuubi sealed inside of him. He certainly would've lost to Sasuke already if he hadn't been able to call on the demon's chakra to enhance his speed, strength, and pretty much every part of his body. Now, everything came down to one final attack, just like at the Valley of the End, all those months ago. But, unlike then, Naruto had no intention of letting Sasuke live.

Sasuke grimaced as he felt the shockwave that resulted from his chidori crashing into Naruto's rasengan. Though he didn't like to admit it, Naruto was strong. Stronger than he was apparently. This last thought didn't go through his mind until he felt Naruto swing a second rasengan up and into his gut. There was so much force behind the blow that, instead of feeling like he was being hit by a small hurricane, it instead felt like a ball of pure pain was hitting him. Sasuke staggered backwards, a great hole in his stomach, and part of his chest missing. "Damn you, bastard. I should've wonthisfightt…" His words slurred together as he fell to the ground, dead.

Then, exhaustion over taking him as the kyuubi withdrew its chakra, Naruto collapsed as well. For a moment, when Sakura first looked upon where he lay, she thought both boys were dead. Her eyes filled with tears, she rushed over to him. As she drew nearer, she started sobbing, but out of joy. She had noticed that Naruto's chest rose and fell. He was still alive! Sasuke, on the other hand, was another matter. He had lost so much blood from Naruto's last attack, that if he'd somehow managed to live through the initial impact, he would've been dead moments later anyway.

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Back at Konoha, several hours later 

Ino had finally pulled herself together enough to leave Naruto's house and head for the gates of Konoha. And there she waited, for several hours, before any sign of Sakura and the Hokage were seen. Then, just as Ino had slipped off into a light doze, someone shouted to open the gates. Bolting upright, she looked down over the wall and almost laughed with relief. There was Sakura, carrying Naruto, who was apparently sleeping, and Tsunade, carrying Sasuke. But there was something not quite right about Sasuke.

Once she had jumped down to greet them on the inside of the gate did she realize what it was. Sasuke was dead. As she realized this she felt a sort of savage pleasure rush through her. Sasuke couldn't hurt Naruto anymore! And now there was one less threat to Konoha as well.

Without either side speaking, Ino walked over to Sakura and tried to take Naruto from her. After a moment's hesitation, Sakura let her, whispering, "He's just exhausted. He pushed himself to his limits to kill Sasuke" as she did so. Ino nodded, then looked over at the Hokage, who nodded as well. With that, Ino began to head back towards Naruto's apartment, followed by Sakura, and the whispers of those who saw them.

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One week later 

The days following the return to Konoha were somber. But nothing compared to today, the day of Sasuke's funeral service. It was being held even though many people thought he didn't deserve one. Naruto, for one, was actually in favor of the service. He was still having trouble accepting the fact that he had killed Sasuke himself, and was hoping the service would help him sort out his thoughts. Unfortunately, as each story was told, Naruto began to doubt his actions more and more. At least, until Sakura stood up. Where everyone else had told sugar coated versions of the events Sasuke had been involved in, Sakura told the stories she knew of Sasuke's life without anything added. Naruto realized how hard this must've been, since until Sasuke tried to kill her a couple of months ago, she looked at everything he did without seeing any of the faults.

Once everything was all said and done, Naruto quickly headed home. Once there, he collapsed onto his bed and began to cry. After hearing everyone's stories, he was in more doubt than he had been on his own. Sure, Sasuke had done some pretty horrible things, but why hadn't he given him another chance? Of course, the rational side of Naruto told him that it was because Sasuke had already used up more chances than he deserved, but it was ignored.

He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice as the apartment door opened and someone came in. He did notice, however, when two pairs of hands began to gently massage his back. Slowly he turned his head to see both Ino and Sakura smiling down at him. "You okay, sweetie?" Ino spoke softly as she bent forwards enough so that she could kiss the top of his head. When he didn't respond, she frowned slightly. "You did everything you could, dear." Sakura nodded in agreement before speaking up as well. "Yeah. And we're both glad that you're the one left alive, instead of Sasuke. Besides, if you hadn't killed him, I would've." Naruto smiled softly at this, but still didn't respond.

Ino and Sakura shared a glance at each other before kneeling on either side of Naruto. Then, as one, they each kissed Naruto on the cheek. Naruto's eyes widened at this and he sat up. "What the…?" Ino and Sakura giggled before sitting down next to Naruto and holding onto one arm each. Seeing the expression on Naruto's face, Ino explained. "We were both tired of fighting over you, so we decided to share you. That is, if it's okay with you." Naruto grinned and chuckled at this. Then, in response, he kissed Ino softly on the lips first, then did the same to Sakura, who blushed furiously. _Maybe living with the fact that I killed Sasuke won't be as hard as I had thought._

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Well, that wasn't how I had intended for this story to turn out, but I think it works. Thank you DJ Rodriguez, for giving me the idea to turn this into a NaruHarem (sort of) fic. I hope this decision doesn't turn any people away. But if it does, oh well, this is my fic.

Coming Up in Chapter 8: Wait a Sec, He's Got What Inside of Him!

Naruto explains to Ino and Sakura exactly what the deal is with him and the kyuubi. As Sakura's parents begin to act like Ino's, she moves out as well. Using the money Sakura got from the Hokage for successfully completing the "mission" of rescuing Naruto, along with money that Naruto and Ino put forwards, they all buy a small house on the outskirts of Konoha for all of them to live in together.


	8. Wait A Sec, He's Got What Inside Him!

Alright, I realize I made a mistake last chapter. Nothing really big, just some nitpicky things. I wrote that the funeral was held the next day. It was _supposed_ to be that the funeral was held one week later, the time that the scene transition cuts it. Whoops. Of course, chances are not many people noticed this (I've gotten no messages about it, as of the time I'm writing this), and if you read chapter 7 _after_ this has been submitted, then you won't see the problem (since I'm fixing it). Just a heads up incase you thought something was weird, since it was. Also, for anyone wondering, the almost full 360-degree change Naruto had at the end of last chapter isn't entirely unlikely. I know from experience that a small joy can often offset a much larger one, sometimes even drive it out of your mind, such as when I was supposed to be getting a PSP last Christmas and I didn't, I was initially really pissed at my parents, but then forgot all about it when they ungrounded me from my online games. Anyway, enjoy the story!

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Chapter 8:

Wait a Sec, He's Got What Inside of Him!

Sakura hummed slightly as she dressed the next day. Instead of the colors of mourning most people wore after a funeral, she dressed in her normal outfit. In fact, _no one_ was wearing colors of mourning, with the exception of the Hokage. Pretty much everyone, even those who had seemed shaken by Sasuke's death, agreed that Sasuke deserved what had happened to him, and no one was willing to shed a tear over someone they had only heard of by reputation first, then as a missing nin second.

As she walked down the stairs to eat a little breakfast before she went out, her mother greeted her. "Good morning, dear. Any particular reason you're so happy this morning?" Sakura nodded as she grabbed an apple and bit into it. After swallowing her bite, she spoke. "Yup. I've got a date later today." Her father had just come into the room in time to hear this, and chuckled. "Really? Who's the lucky gentleman?" "Naruto-kun." At this her parents froze. Sakura didn't notice this, however, because she busy fussing with her hair, which had come undone. "Naruto? I thought he was going out with that Ino friend of yours." Sakura's mother's voice had the note of barely retained anger. Sakura nodded, frowning slightly at her mother's tone. "Well, sort of. We're kinda sharing him now."

Sakura's father could take it no more. Slamming his hand down on the table, he looked straight at Sakura. "You're forbidden to see that boy, you understand? He is nothing but trouble, and nothing but trouble will come from being around him. It's bad enough that you're on the same team as him, but I will not have you be around him any more than you have to!" Sakura slowly rose from her chair, keeping her cool as best as she could, and stared right back at her father. "What do you mean by all of that? 'Nothing but trouble'? Father, he's _saved_ this village from danger on many occasions! He's a nice boy who will do anything in his power to protect those he cares about. And do you know what? He cares about everyone in Konoha, even the ones who call him a demon." With that, she strode purposefully past her father. On the stairs, she managed to catch what her parents said before she disappeared into her room. "But he _is_ a demon!" "Shh, dear! We're not supposed to talk about that."

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_1 hour later, Naruto and Ino's apartment_

Ino rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she opened the door, revealing Sakura, carrying a number of bags. "Huh? Sakura-chan, what're all these bags for?" Sakura sighed and looked at the bags she was carrying before speaking. "Let's just say I had the same conversation with my parents that you did with yours." It took a moment for this comment to sink in. Once it did, Ino was instantly awake. "What! Not your parents, too! Sheesh, what is wrong with this village? Anyway, I'm afraid you can't stay here. Things're already cramped as it is, with two people." Sakura nodded and grinned. "I know, which is why I came to tell you that you and Naruto-kun are moving out." Ino was completely lost at this point. "Wait, say that again." Sakura sighed as she repeated herself. "You and Naruto-kun are moving out. With the money I got from the Hokage for helping to rescue Naruto, which as you know counted as an "A" rank mission, and a bit of help from you and Naruto, we can afford to get our own place somewhere. It'll be perfect! All of us living together, and without being cramped into an apartment designed for single occupancy."

Ino thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, but when we go looking for a place, we'd better not mention that Naruto-kun will be living with us." This time it was Sakura's turn to be confused. "Wait, why would we better not to mention Naruto-kun?" Ino glanced back to make sure Naruto was still asleep before answering. "I was talking with Naruto-kun the other night. Apparently he definitely has enough money to get a better place than this, it was just that the owner of this apartment complex was the only one willing to rent a room to Naruto-kun. No clue why, though." Sakura frowned. "You know, I want to know what's wrong with this village, too. Anyway, wake Naruto-kun up. We might not mention him, but we'll still need his opinion."

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That evening 

Naruto grinned as they finished moving everything they had into their new house. When he had heard about Sakura's proposal, he had been expecting them to look at bigger apartments, not small houses. But the pay for an "A" rank mission was better than Naruto had expected, and they had actually had enough, when combined with all of Ino's savings and most of Naruto's, to buy the place, instead of just renting it out like _Sakura_ had planned. The cheapness probably came from the fact that it was actually pressed against the outer wall of the village. That, and the fact that there were only three rooms total, not counting the bathroom or kitchen. There were two bedrooms and one room that was obviously meant for whatever you currently needed (it had nothing at all in it). He and Ino would share one room, since they were already used to it, and Sakura would have the other. Eventually they planned on moving into one room, then using the other for visitors (what visitors, though, Naruto couldn't guess), but not immediately.

It had taken most of the day to find a suitable place that they could afford. Suitable meant one that all three could agree on. As for getting all their stuff their, not only did they not have much stuff, but, thanks to Naruto's specialty, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, he could easily take everything in one trip. Sakura and Ino, of course, insisted that they be allowed to help, so now they were both lying on the floor of the empty room, tired. "Ugh, who knew that ramen noodles were actually _heavy_?" Moaned Sakura. Ino raised her hand half-heartedly before letting it fall. "I did. That's why I told you to let Naruto-kun carry it. I don't know why I decided to carry the ninja gear, though. Now that stuff is heavy. And bulky." Sakura giggled slightly and nodded, though Ino couldn't see.

Naruto grinned down at them as he stepped into the room, sitting down next to both of their heads. "You do know that I was perfectly willing to carry everything myself, right?" Both girls nodded, and Ino spoke up. "But we wanted to help." Naruto chuckled and looked up at the ceiling as he spoke. "Yeah, but now you're both too tired for our date tonight." Ino frowned as she realized that this was true. "Damn. I guess we'll have to go another time."

Sakura, though, was thinking of something else. "Hey, Naruto-kun?" Naruto looked down at her as he responded. "Yeah?" "I was wondering. Why do people call you a demon?" At this the color drained from Naruto's face and he looked away. "What?" Sighing, he spoke. "I'm not really supposed to talk about that. The Third forbid talking about it. Technically, people aren't even supposed to call me a demon for the same reason." Sakura looked up at him, and was shocked to see how pale he had become. Ino would have as well, but she had her eyes closed. "Since when have you cared for rules?" Naruto laughed at this and nodded. "You have a point, Sakura-chan. Alright, I'll tell you both, though you have to promise not to tell anyone else." Both Sakura and Ino said "Promise" at the exact same time.

"Alright, it all started on the day of my birth. No, I'm not pretending to remember what happened when I was less than a day old. I found all of this out from Mizuki and Iruka-sensei the day I stole the forbidden scroll from the Third and beat the shit out of Mizuki. Anyway, the village was under attack from the demon fox, the kyuubi." Ino felt her heart sink as she remembered what her parents had said, but she didn't say anything. She wanted to hear what Naruto had to say. Sakura, on the other hand, had to interrupt. "You mean the demon that the Fourth died fighting? The one that he destroyed?" Naruto shook his head. "The Fourth didn't kill the kyuubi, it was too strong for that. He merely sealed it away inside of an infant's body, forever cursing that child to be the container that housed the evil that was, and is, the kyuubi. That child's name was Uzumaki Naruto. So, technically, they should call me 'demon container', not 'demon', though most of them think that I _am_ really the kyuubi." Ino and Sakura were both speechless, though for different reasons. Ino was speechless because Naruto was not the kyuubi, as her parents had said, but merely housed the great beast. Sakura was speechless because what Sasuke had said before the fight suddenly made sense.

Naruto decided to break the silence as he glanced around the room at the bare walls. "So, do you two want to hate me now, like everyone else who knows the truth? Well, not everyone, exactly, since Tsunade-sama, Iruka-sensei, and Kakashi-sensei knew the truth, and they don't hate me. Neither did the Third, for that matter." Ino and Sakura both shook their heads and pulled themselves into sitting positions before hugging Naruto. "Of course not. You're still the Naruto we love. Nothing has changed. Besides, I have a feeling that the kyuubi was what helped save us on a number of occasions. I mean, that's why the chakra around you in the fight had those tails, right?" Naruto looked down at Ino, then at Sakura as she spoke. "Wait, you saw the chakra?" She nodded, frowning. "Of course. It was plain as day." "Wow, I had no idea that the kyuubi was manifesting _that _much chakra outside my body when we do that. But, yeah, he helps. We have an agreement going, sort of." "What sort of agreement?" Ino was the one who spoke up this time. "Well, since if I die, he dies, he lends me his strength when I need it."

After several more hours of discussion about the kyuubi and other related matters, both girls leaned up against Naruto as the conversation slowly ended. It probably would've kept going, but Ino had fallen asleep, and Sakura had run out of things to say to just Naruto. After a moment, Naruto stood up, picking up Ino as he did so. "I'm going to go tuck Ino-chan into bed, then be right back." Sakura just nodded as she looked out of the window. She couldn't see anything, of course. It was pitch black outside, and the electric lights lighting the room made it completely impossible to see anything dimmer than it.

Soon Naruto was back and sat against the wall. Sakura grinned and crawled over to him before sitting in his lap and gently touching his cheek. Naruto grinned down at her and held her close to him, kissing her cheek as he did so. "Hey, Sakura-chan. You know, I used to have dreams about this sort of thing." Sakura raised her eyebrow at this and looked Naruto in the eye. "Oh really? You said used to. When did you stop?" Naruto thought for a moment before answering. "I think I stopped having dreams about you when you refused to leave Sasuke's side for anything after I brought him back." "Oh." Sakura's reply was meek and sorrowful. How she wished she hadn't stayed by Sasuke at that time. Not only would she had saved herself a lot of pain, she probably would've had a shot at Naruto before Ino. Though, then they might not all be living under the same roof, so things evened out. "Hey, it's okay. I realize that he meant a lot to you. I'm not angry, or anything." Sakura smiled at this and kissed his cheek. "Emphasis on meant. You mean more to me now than he ever did. And thanks."

Naruto blushed at this, then lowered his face so that it was less than an inch from Sakura's. He would have moved even closer on his own, but Sakura decided things were taking too long and moved her face upwards, pressing their lips together in a passionate kiss. A minute later when they parted, Naruto smiled and slowly stood up, helping Sakura to her feet. "Well, I'm heading to bed now, and you probably should too." "I think I will. G'night, Naruto-kun." "G'night, Sakura-chan."

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And there you go. A bit more romantic a chapter than the last couple, most likely much more romantic than the next one but probably won't be as romantic as the ones after that. But, we'll see. Oh, and as a heads up, the next chapter's title is just the name of a song. They aren't exactly lovers in this fiction _yet._ They probably will at some point, depending on how long I continue this (at the moment I have no definite plans, but home to include the next several years of their life in one way or another).

Coming Up in Chapter 9: Lovers In a Dangerous Time

Enraged by the "demon" bewitching Sakura and Ino, some of the rougher of Konoha's citizens decide that Naruto has outstayed his welcome. Or rather, out_lived_ his welcome. Plenty of violence in this chapter (I think).


	9. Lovers In A Dangerous Time

Hey people, sorry this took so long. I've had plenty of technical failures, but those aren't the main reason this has taken so long. This may shock you, since none of you know me, but I ended up attempting suicide no less than three times. Thankfully, I failed every time, and I'm better now. Anyway, that's why I haven't written anything. Oh, and this chapter takes place about 3 months after Chapter 8.

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Chapter 9:

Lovers In a Dangerous Time

Yawning and stretching, Sakura slowly slid out of her bed. Quietly tip-toeing over to the door that separated her room from Naruto's and Ino's, or rather doorway, since they had removed the door a couple days after moving in after Ino had slipped and accidentally fallen through it, Sakura giggled as she saw the two entangled in the blankets and each other. How they could sleep like that, she had no idea. Naruto could probably sleep anywhere in any position. Come to think of it, he had managed to fall asleep balanced on the top of a fence during one exercise. Of course, he had woken rather abruptly as he fell off, but that was something different.

After a moment, Sakura sighed and pulled on her clothes before heading to the kitchen. It wasn't that she minded cooking breakfast for all of them, since Ino did lunch and they shared doing dinner. Neither of them would let Naruto cook, since he couldn't do much besides ramen. It was more that she wished that Ino and Naruto would wake up sooner. Or that she could sleep later. She had tried going back to sleep once or twice in the past, but she had never managed it.

Just as she finished making breakfast, Ino entered the room, looking tired. Sakura saw this and frowned. "Ino-chan, didn't you sleep well?" Ino sighed as she took her seat and shook her head. "Nope. Naruto was crying in his sleep again." "Again? Why didn't you come get me?" Ino shook her head again and took a bite of her food before speaking. "Because, I didn't want to wake Naruto since he doesn't sleep well anyway, and he was hugging me rather tightly. I wonder what it was this time, though." Sakura thought for a moment before sitting down as well and speaking. "If I were a gambler, I'd probably put money on another dream about Sasuke." Ino sighed and nodded. "That's probably it."

Ever since he killed Sasuke, Naruto had been plagued with almost nightly nightmares about it. Originally they were almost comforting, with him being forced to kill Sasuke after Sasuke had attacked the village, killing many and hurting many more. But recently they involved him watching himself, as though an observer in his own body, brutally attack and kill Sasuke without any provocation whatsoever.

Several minutes later, a very pale looking Naruto entered the kitchen and sneezed as he sat down. Ino and Sakura both said "Bless you" at the same time to this. Naruto smiled weakly and started eating. "Thanks. I think I'm coming down with something." Ino thought he was probably right. He hadn't been getting much sleep at all for almost 2 months now, and he did look terrible. "I'm not surprised, dear." Said Sakura in a soothing tone, gently hugging him before slipping back into her seat. Ino nodded and gently squeezed his hand, then said what she had to quickly. "You had one of those dreams again last night, didn't you?" Naruto stiffened, then nodded. "Yeah. No different than every night for the last week." Ino bit her lip at this and didn't say any more. Thankfully, Sakura spoke up then. "Naruto-kun, why don't you go see Tsunade-shisou about this? Surely she could help." Naruto shook his head like he had done at this suggestion the last 40 or so times it had been brought up. "No. I'm surviving, and I don't want anyone else to know that I've been having these dreams. You know how I don't like lots people fussing over me."

Ino shrugged and stood up, kissing Naruto's cheek as she did so. "Well, I have to go. I have a mission today, and I can't be late. See you tonight, you two." Naruto smiled and slowly stood up, his food mostly untouched. "See you tonight, Ino-chan." Sakura then slapped her forehead and made to follow Ino. "I just remembered, I'm supposed to be meeting the Hokage for another private lesson today. Bye, Naruto-kun! Don't get into too much trouble!" Naruto put on a joking grin before replying. "Since when have I ever gotten into trouble?" This comment earned him sideways glances from both girls, who then quickly left.

Sighing, Naruto began to clean up the remains of breakfast. Several minutes after he began to wash the dishes, he heard the front door swing open. "Did you forget something?" He spoke as he turned around, thinking it was one of the girls. It wasn't. Stepping into the house were about a dozen men who all looked as though they had recently hit rock bottom. Their clothes were of rather recent fashions, but they were dirty, slightly torn, and the colors were rather faded. Naruto frowned and slowly inched his hand towards the knife he had been washing. "What do you want?"

The leader, or at least he appeared to be the leader, since he had the smuggest expression, slightly cleaner clothes and spoke with a commanding tone, chuckled and stepped forwards before speaking. "Your head, demon brat." In one quick motion the man unsheathed a rather shabby looking short sword and lunged at Naruto, who quickly moved out of the way, the knife in his hand. Grinning as he realized that the confines of the house would limit the fighting to two at a time, possibly three at most, Naruto knocked aside the man's next blow and cut rather deeply into his wrist.

As the first man dropped his sword, but still came forwards at Naruto, Naruto hit him hard over the head with the handle of his knife, knocking him out. Naruto was about to wipe his hands on his pant leg to rid it of the sweat, when he had to leap to one side as the next two men came at him, one of them throwing the odd poison dart. Cursing under his breath as he realized that he couldn't come out of this alive without taking at least one life, Naruto ducked under the dart thrower's guard, sent the man's knife flying, and cut up the man's torso along a diagonal. Judging by the amount of blood that flowed from the wound as the man collapsed, Naruto had managed to cut his jugular vein. He definitely wasn't going to get up again.

Naruto paid for his lapse in attention as the second man hit him across the back with a large club. He went flying and crashed into the wall, blacking out. His last sight was three men advancing on him with knives.

Hours later Naruto was found by Sakura, returning from her lesson with the Hokage. Gasping as she saw him, she dropped the scrolls she was carrying and rushed to his side. Naruto was lying in a pool of blood, along with the man he had killed. His body was a mess of blood, every part of him seemed to have been slashed. Amazingly his chest still rose and fell with breath. Shallow and ragged breaths, but he was breathing nonetheless.

Quickly, Sakura gathered chakra into her palms and began to heal Naruto's wounds. Once she was satisfied that she had done all she could, she carefully lifted him onto her shoulders, using chakra to increase her strength so she could. Sakura then headed off, taking Naruto to the Hokage.

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There you go people! And thanks for all the reviews .

Coming Up in Chapter 10: Upside-down

While Naruto recovers in the hospital, Ino and Sakura hunt down the men who attacked Naruto. No mean feat, especially when the Hokage doesn't want them involved in the investigation.


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